2013 Winter X Games Snowboard Street Recap

2013 Winter X Games Snowboard Street Recap

Words: Hondo

The 2013 Winter X Games Snowboard Street contest just wrapped up and man was it a heated one. The event started out with riders riding in two heats, all while trying to get into the exclusive final session. During the eliminations we saw some killer riding from dudes like Forest Bailey, Jonah Owen, Dylan Thompson, Brandon Hobush, Dan Brisse, Jaeger Bailey, Nick Visconti, Ryan Paul, Dylan Alito, and Louif Paradis. Some key standouts from the prelims were Brandon Hobush letting the hoof breath with some sick one-footers over the gap, Forest Bailey’s radical style and backside lipslides, and Dylan Alito almost sliding the rail on the top of the wallride-he went higher than everyone on that bad boy. After all was said and done, the dudes who made the finals were Dylan Thompson, Jaeger Bailey, Dylan Alito, Ryan Paul, Dan Brisse, and Louif Paradis. Dudes were going for broke. Jaeger Bailey was flipping and sliding everything in his path, but my favorite tricks out of him were his one-footed boardslide, and his frontside 180 to switch nosepress down the downbar. It’s always sick when you see dudes who are known for their zany moves do super sick and stylish more basic tricks. Other standout moves was RP’s 50-50 gap out to backside 270 slider. It was sick, and if that rail was in the streets it would for sure be a closer to a video part.

Now I know there’s been lots of talk about whack judging at X Games this year, but the judging at the street contest was on point. Louif Paradis won, and he won with legit tricks. He didn’t flip, he didn’t do any circus shit, he did insane snowboarding, and it paid off.